February 14 each year, Valentine's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it is not a holiday in most of them.
Let's see how some of these countries celebrate their Valentine’s Day.
In China, the so-called “Chinese Valentine’s Day” is the Qixi Festival (七夕节), celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar.
In Chinese culture, “The Night of Sevens” (七夕), the Cowherd star (牛郎星) and the Weaver Maid star (织女星) are normally separated by the Milky Way (银河) but are allowed to meet by crossing the Magpie Bridge (鹊桥) on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar.
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In Greece, Valentine’s Day or Ημέρα του Αγίου Βαλεντίνου in Greek tradition was not associated with romantic love.
In the Eastern Orthodox church there is another Saint who protects people who are in love, Hyacinth of Caesarea (feast day 3 July), but in contemporary Greece, this tradition has mostly been superseded by the “globalised” form of Valentine’s Day.
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In India, in antiquity, there was a tradition of adoring Kamadeva, the lord of love; exemplified by the erotic carvings in the Khajuraho Group of Monuments and by the writing of the Kamasutra treaty of lovemaking.
This tradition was lost around the Middle Ages, when Kamadeva was no longer celebrated, and public displays of sexual affection became frowned upon.
In the state of West Bengal, Saraswati Puja, a festival observed in early spring where Saraswati, the goddess of learning is worshipped; has often been seen as a Bengali version of Valentine’s Day; especially among the urban middle-class youth.
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In Japan, the romantic “date night” associated to Valentine’s Day is celebrated on Christmas Eve.
In Japan, a slightly different version of a holiday based on a lovers’ story called Tanabata (七夕) has been celebrated for centuries, on July 7 of the Gregorian calendar.
As of the February 14, Valentine's Day, many women feel obliged to give chocolates to all male co-workers, except when the day falls on a Sunday, a holiday.
This is known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), giri means obligation and choko means chocolate, with unpopular co-workers receiving only chō-giri-choko (ultra-obligatory) cheap chocolate.
This contrasts with honmei-choko (本命チョコ), honmei means favourite, chocolate given to a loved one.
Friends, especially girls, may exchange chocolate referred to as tomo-choko (友チョコ), tomo means friend.
In the 1980s the Japanese National Confectionery Industry Association launched a successful campaign to make March 14 "White Day" (reply day), where men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine’s Day, calling it "White Day" for the colour of the chocolates being offered.
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In some Latin American countries (Colombia, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico and Puerto Rico, as well as others) Valentine’s Day is known as “Día del Amor y la Amistad” (Day of Love and Friendship).
It is also common to see people perform acts of appreciation for their friends.
In Guatemala, it is known as the “Día del Cariño” (Affection Day).
In Brazil, the "Dia dos Namorados" (Lovers’ Day or Boyfriends’/Girlfriends’ Day) is celebrated on June 12, probably because that is the day before Saint Anthony’s Day, known there as the marriage saint, when traditionally many single women perform popular rituals, called simpatias, in order to find a good husband or boyfriend.
Couples exchange gifts, chocolates, cards and flower bouquets.
In most of Latin America the "Día del Amor y la Amistad" and the "Amigo secreto" (Secret friend) are quite popular and are usually celebrated together on the 14 February (except Colombia, where it is celebrated on the third Saturday in September).
The "Amigo secreto" consists of randomly assigning to each participant a recipient who is to be given an anonymous gift (similar to the Christmas tradition of Secret Santa).
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In Romania, in order to counter the perceived denaturation of national culture, "Dragobete", a spring festival celebrated in parts of Southern Romania, has been rekindled as the traditional Romanian holiday for lovers.
Its date used to vary depending on the geographical area, however nowadays it is commonly observed on February 24.
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In Denmark and Norway, although February 14 is known as Valentinsdag, it is not celebrated to a large extent, some people take time to eat a romantic dinner with their partner, to send a card to a secret love or give a red rose to their loved one.
In Sweden, it is called "Alla hjärtans dag" (All Hearts’ Day) and was launched in the 1960s by the flower industry’s commercial interests, and due to the influence of American culture.
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In South Korea, women give chocolate to men on February 14, and men give non-chocolate candy to women on March 14 (White Day).
On April 14 (Black Day), those who did not receive anything on February 14 or March 14, go to a Chinese-Korean restaurant to eat jajangmyeon (자장면) means black noodles and lament their ‘single life’.
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In Israel, the Jewish tradition of Tu B’Av has been revived and transformed into the Jewish equivalent of Valentine’s Day.
It is celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Av (usually in late August).
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In Wales, many people celebrate "Dydd Santes Dwynwen" (St Dwynwen’s Day) on January 25 instead of (or as well as) Valentine’s Day.
The day commemorates St Dwynwen, the patron saint of Welsh lovers.
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In Iran, the Sepandarmazgan, or Esfandegan, is a festival where people express love towards their mothers and wives, and it is also a celebration of earth in ancient Persian culture.
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In Estonia, Valentine’s Day is called Sõbrapäev.
In Finland, Valentine’s Day is called Ystävänpäivä which means Friend’s Day.
In the Philippines, Valentine’s Day is called Araw ng mga Puso which means Hearts Day.
In Portugal, Valentine's Day is more commonly referred to as “Dia dos Namorados” which means Lover’s Day/Day of the Enamoured.
In Spain, Valentine’s Day is known as “San Valentín” and is celebrated the same way as in the UK, except in Catalonia.
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While most of the people around the world are celebrating the month of love, do note that not all countries welcome Valentine's Day.
Countries like Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia ban this festival as it is considered a Christian holiday.
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